Westfield Public Schools

Westfield High School junior Sydney Drugan was named Sons of Erin colleen at the 41st annual Colleen Contest and Ball on Feb. 2. Members of her court are Grace Hanna, Brie Kelly-Barrett, Katelyn Jones and Riley McDonnell. “It was incredible, I was very surprised. There were so many amazing young ladies,” Drugan said after being named colleen. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/02/dancer-aspiring-engineer-will-represent-westfield-as-st-patricks-colleen.html

Thanks to a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Commission, author Renata Bowers has been teaching Franklin Avenue Elementary School’s third grade how to be effective storytellers. She, staff, students, and parents celebrated their progress in an hour-long ceremony before the end of the school day on Feb. 1. In the lesson, Bowers said, students were asked to identify “everyday heroes,” who help them with their problems. Identifying those people helped them “become part of telling more good stories,” she said. They were also asked to identify the good things that can come from a problem. Bowers said this helped them not be scared of their problems but start thinking about solutions. https://www.masslive.com/news/2024/02/childrens-author-works-with-westfield-kids-to-find-their-inner-storyteller.html

The U.S. Education Department (USED) recently announced that data from college-bound students’ Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will not be delivered to colleges until March. While news of this delay is disconcerting, here is some guidance and information for students and families: Students should still complete the FAFSA. If they are experiencing technical errors, they should be patient and keep trying, especially when it comes to reaching Federal Student Aid (FSA) by phone. Students can also contact their prospective colleges and let them know that they are having problems with their submission. Federal Student Aid continues to correct errors. Anyone who has submitted their FAFSA but needs to make corrections will be able to do so once the FAFSA data is processed in March. National college access organizations are urging colleges and universities to extend financial aid and admissions deadlines in light of the delayed data. Colleges that depend on the FAFSA to make aid offers will most likely be delayed in sending offers to students. However, there is widespread understanding that students need these aid offers to make a college decision. To help families with the new FAFSA, which went live on December 30, the Massachusetts Education Financing Authority (MEFA) is holding several online events, including one on “Navigating the Challenges and Delays of the New FAFSA” for students and families from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 21. https://www.mefa.org/events/navigating-the-challenges-and-delays-of-the-new-fafsa?utm_source=DA-Commissioner%27s+Weekly+Update&utm_campaign=deda82ffdf-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_02_05_11_56&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-deda82ffdf-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

Westfield’s Public Schools are hosting a “Countdown to Kindergarten” information and registration night in the Westfield Middle School cafeteria, 30 W. Silver St., on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Families of prospective kindergartners may attend anytime between 6 and 7:30 p.m., and may bring the kids. The snow date is Feb. 8. Assessment and Accountability Director Christine Shea said the district’s goal is to get as many kindergartners registered as possible, to help plan for the 2024-25 school year. “That way, we know who’s coming. We can have them come to screenings in May, invite them to play dates in the summer, and be ready to welcome them to school in the fall,” Shea said. There will be information for families, with central registration staff and translators available to answer questions and to register children for kindergarten. Children must be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2024, to enter kindergarten in the fall. Shea said families can bring their paperwork with them and learn what else they need. A list of paperwork needed for registration is available at www.schoolsofwestfield.org/page/required-enrollment-documents. Families are encouraged to bring their prospective kindergartner with them. There will be a school bus outside for children to climb onto and explore, and inside will be a family “photo booth,” art kits with crayons and coloring books, raffle prizes and more. Between 6 and 7 p.m. each elementary school will have a table where families can meet their future principals and teachers. Partners such as the Boys & Girls Club and the YMCA, will also have representatives on hand, so families can connect and learn more about before- and after-school programs. The evening is also an opportunity to ask questions about transportation, to hear about school lunches and see a sample menu. Shea described the evening as the kickoff for kindergarten registration. She said if families miss it, they may register online, or visit the central office welcome center in the Westwood Building on the first floor of 94 Elm St., Westfield. The Countdown to Kindergarten is sponsored in collaboration with the Westfield Coordinated Family and Community Engagement grant and community partners. For more information, call Sarah Kotarski at 413-572-6439 or email s.kotarski@schoolsofwestfield.org. For translation assistance, call Laura Surprise at 413-642-9320 or email l.surprise@schoolsofwestfield.org. https://www.thereminder.com/localnews/westfield/kindergarten-info-night-planned-on-feb-6-in-westfi/

The mission of the Westfield Public Schools Parent Support Group is to provide opportunities for parents and caregivers to come together and gain information, training and resources. We strive to support strong family units and improve all systems of care for students with special needs through increased communication and collaboration. Please click on the image below for information on our next meeting on February 7 at 6:00 p.m. Thank you.

If you missed Superintendent's Spotlight last Thursday, click on the link below. This week, we had a great show talking about grief and loss with Therese and Betsy from Rick's Place. We learned how this effects students and the supports that Rick's Place offers for youth in our area. Students and staff from Westfield Technical Academy's Culinary Arts Department also helped us celebrate National Dark Chocolate Day with some special treats. Thank you for watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dRAZv4FcJA

Female pirates, British aristocrats, singing, dancing and laughter will fill the stage at Westfield Middle School for a performance by the Drama Club of “Captain Bree and Her Lady Pirates” on Feb. 9 and 10 at 7 p.m. British Captain Jennings (Christina Nguyen) loses her crew when they jump ship, leaving only a handful of prisoners and Fergus (Griffin Kuhn), a sailor who can’t swim, to protect the wealthy passengers from the pirate attack. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/01/sea-shanties-silly-twists-abound-in-westfield-middle-school-musical.html

Westfield Public Schools have announced that tuition-free, full-day preschool will again be offered for Westfield residents for the 2024-25 school year. Full-day preschool programs, which run during the school day from 9:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., will be available at Southampton Road, Highland and Munger Hill elementary schools, and in the new elementary school on Franklin Street when it opens, which is expected to be in January 2025. Before- and after-school programs are also available at the YMCA and Boys & Girls Club. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/02/westfield-free-preschool-lottery-is-open-until-feb-16.html

Construction on the new Elementary School continues! Click here for the January newsletter: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Construction-on-the-new-Elementary-School-continues--January-2024-Newsletter.html?soid=1127583543316&aid=dXHWYENgqB8

If you missed the latest "Superintendent's Spotlight" from this morning, click on the link below. This week, we talked about our Upcoming "Countdown to Kindergarten" Event at Westfield Middle School on February 6 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. We also took some time to test our knowledge of the Sunshine State on National Florida Day. Thanks for watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL8wj5ERW2E

Westfield’s public schools are hosting a “Countdown to Kindergarten” information and registration night in the Westfield Middle School cafeteria, 30 West Silver St., on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Families of prospective kindergartners may attend anytime between 6 and 7:30 p.m., and may bring the kids. The snow date is Feb. 8. Assessment and Accountability Director Christine Shea said the district’s goal is to get as many kindergartners registered as possible, to help plan for the 2024-25 school year. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/01/westfield-families-can-register-new-kindergartners-at-feb-6-family-event.html

Please share the brochures with information about the Principal searches at Paper Mill and Westfield Technical Academy so we can get the word out about these exciting job opportunities! https://5il.co/2d6q6 https://5il.co/2d6q7

Galen Wilson, the aviation department head at Westfield Technical Academy, said this week that the loss of Fredrika Ballard, owner of Fly Lugu and Aero Design Aircraft Services at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport, hit the program and his students especially hard. Ballard, a Southwick resident who died in a small-plane crash Jan. 14, along with a student and fellow instructor, also served on the Aviation Advisory Board at WTA. Wilson spoke to Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski about paying tribute to Ballard in some way. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/01/westfield-techs-aviation-shop-pays-tribute-to-flight-teacher-who-died-in-crash.html

If you missed this morning's episode of "Superintendent's Spotlight", please click on the link below. This week, we spoke with Principal Stacy Burgess all about our Grades 6-12 Virtual School. We also had a little fun with "National Thesaurus Day". Thanks for watching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiRd4U7-9kE

Elementary school teachers in Westfield are looking to partner with professionals in the community to enhance their science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum this spring through the Adopt-a-Classroom program. Lindsey Ayers, the district’s pre-kindergarten through fourth grade STEM coach, said the students have upcoming challenges in their Project Lead the Way curriculum related to robotics, coding, computer systems and simulations. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/01/westfield-elementary-schools-seek-partners-for-real-world-science-lessons.html

There will be a 2 hour delay this morning, Wednesday, January 17th due to icy conditions on side roads, sidewalks, and school parking lots.

Westfield Public School elementary teachers are looking to partner with professionals in the community to enhance our STEM Curriculum. The topics are described below by grade level. We envision your role with students being related to providing feedback to students based on their prototype designs. We will work with you to create a plan that works! If you are interested in Adopting a Classroom focusing on one of the projects above, please send inquiries to: Lindsey Ayers, PK-4 STEM Coach @ l.ayers@schoolsofwestfield.org. Thank you!

Congratulations to our Westfield High School chorus members for their performance in Saturday's Western District concert!

Bram Moreinis, a new computer science teacher at Westfield High School, has brought with him a tech internship program he developed during his teaching career called “Free Web Clinic,” in which students develop websites for small businesses and community-based organizations. The WHS Free Web Clinic is a work-based learning project within the school’s computer science program of studies, where students design and manage individual and group projects. The Web Clinic team will use professional tools and work patterns, learning together and collaborating to build or upgrade websites for clients. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/01/westfield-high-school-class-seeks-clients-for-free-website-design-service.html

At a meeting of the new elementary school building committee on Jan. 9, Co-Chair Tammy Tefft, Owner’s Project Manager Dan Pallotta and architect Bert Gardner addressed several questions that have been raised about the project. First, Pallotta gave an overview. He said construction has passed the 50% mark, which he called a “milestone,” and said, “it looks awesome.” https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/01/westfield-committee-addresses-elementary-school-project-questions-concerns.html